Automatically-releasing hook.



s. ASHDOWN AUTOMATICALLY RELBASING HOOK.

1 APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 17, 1910'.

992,746. Patented May 23,1911.-

' WITNESSES: Sydn'e CflSIuZOWIZ simian! asnnownfbr yaneouvnn, BRITISH COLUMBIA, can-An4'.

' auro aa'rroanu-annnasme noox.

' Specification oi Letters latent. I Application filed June 17, .1910. Serial No. 567,421.

To allwhom'itmay'concem: p Be it known that I, SYDNEY AsrmowN, a citizen of the Dominion of Canada, residin at Vancouver, in the Province of Britis Columbia, Canada, have invented a new and useful Automatically-Releasing Hook," of

. which the following is a specification;

2o accoinpanied, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation-of the hoQkQ This invention relates to an automatically releasing hook for use with hauling, holsting or carrying tackle of any kind in order to effect av savm of time in the release of the load and to ispensewith the attendant otherwise required 'to effect this release.

My object has been to attain thisresult by a means that is'sim le in construction and free from any comp icati'ons that'might be liable to derangement in use.

The invention particularly described 1n the following specification, reference being made to the drawings by which it. is

v the full lines showing it in the position-as when a load .is on it, and the dot and dash lines in the 'ositionof release which the,

hook automatlcally assumes when the weight of the load is taken off it, Fig. 2 is an .ele-

vation from the front of the hook, Fig. 3, a s de elevation showing an addition tomeet a possible requirement.'and Fig. 4 across section on the line A A in' Fig. 3.

In these drawings 2 represents the hook whlch may be of ordinary construction but is preferably made circular in cross section at theseveral parts ofthe bend of the hook and isjsmoothly tapered from a position belowthe-eye to the point. It' may also be.

made of less depth in the hook than is usual that it will more readily slip its load. This hook is freely mounted on a pin '3 secured in' an open shackle 4 the sides of which are of such length and spaced apart .a sufiicient dlstance to permit the hook to pass 'freely through the shackle when it-is rotated on Its in 3. I

I a direction opposite to that of the'hook and inclined toward the side of the pin on-which is the point oropenin of the hook, is a coun-.

terweight 5 the weig t of which is suflicienttooverbalance that of the hook, so that when the hook is free from its load it willturn over in the direction indicated by the arrow and will permit the load sling to fall ,easil out of it.

ith 'this device which position indicate i a spring xtendin from 'the eye ofthe hook 2 'to act in accom lishing when a load, is inthe' hook, the hook will be constrained a a5- Patented May 2.3.1911.

sume a positionindicated by the full. lines in Fig. 1, but when the load is lowered. to the-ground the pull of the load being removed from the hook the book will turn over by the preponderatingbcounterweight in lines in Fig. 1 the load will freely escape.

Owing to the desirability of making. the

hook as shallow as possible in order to facilitate the slipping of the load from it, it may be desirable to provide some means for retaining the hook in its carrying. position when the sling of the load is placed in the load but before the full weight is sustained and so avoid the necessity of the y the dot and dash,-

hook tender holding the-sling in the hook while it is being hoisted. Under ordinary conditions where working-in the woods. this object is conveniently attained 'by moving the hookto a position where its counter weight passes throu h the shackle and by placinga light stick etween the wei ht and the shackle links which device ho ds. the

hook with the hook point well up but as soon. asthe strain comes on the stick is broken or sheared and is no longer required.

This device is not, however, always con- 3 venient to use and I, therefore, proyide a means that will retain the counterweight 5 I temporarily in a somewhat exaggerated position of hook enga ement and such that when the pull of the oad comes on the hook it will release itself from such check. Fig. 3fshows a means by which this can be attained by providing .a beveled detent 6 Slld? able as a lunger against the. resistance of within a drilled hole of the counterweight 5 and retained therein by a screwed ring 8 I mension of the unger will bear. Thls will retain the hoo 'as shown in Flg. 3, but

when the pull of the load comes on the hook the detent 6'will be pressed 1n a met the resistance of the spring-7 and wil permit the hook to assume the posit on shown by full linesin Fig. 1 where it will be free the release of the slin ,as before escribed.

hereby declare that what I claim as new and cut, is; g v v 1. In an automatically releasmfi hook, 'a shackle, a hook having an eye an P1V0t8d desire to hexprotected in by Letters Pat- 11-0 against which the larger di- 105 avlngnow particularly described my in- ;ventio'n and the manner of its operation, I

at said eye to said shackle, said hook having a counterweight extending beyond the eye o posite the hook, the center of gravity of w ich counterweight'will lie on the hook side of a line drawn through the pivotal connection, and thecenter of gravity of said hook, said counterweight being of greater weight than the hook portion of said hook, saidshackle being curved to permit passage of said counterweight, and a yielding means carried by said countera weight to engage said shackle to retain said counterweight in a position between the bars side of a line drawn through the pivotal weight than the hook portion of said hook,

said shackle being curved to permit passage I ofsaid counterweight, a yielding means carried by said counterweight to engage said shackle to retain said counterweight in a position between the bars of said shackle, said yieldable means comprising a spring pressed latch held in a recess of said counterweight and having a (portion projecting into engagement with sai shackle.

- In testlmony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

' SYDNEY ASHDOWN. Witnesses: 1

ROWLAND BRI'I'IAIN, MAY WHYTE. 

